Classic pasta water

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 5 liters of water (tap water) good
• 2 tsp, leveled sea salt, preferably seaweed salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 12 minutes

Can also be used vegan

Especially in light of the growing number of mid-thirties, part of the internship generation, who have just set up their first household with a kitchen, such a basic recipe is indispensable. Fill an unheated pot with 5 liters of good tap water; the pot should have a capacity of around 8 liters. Pasta cooks better if you maintain a generous ratio between pot volume and pasta quantity. If the kitchen has an electric instantaneous water heater, there’s nothing wrong with using hot tap water. If you have a boiler or a water heater connected to the central heating system, cold water is a better choice. Don’t skimp on salt; avoid the cheap stuff from the discount store. The best salt for pasta is coarse sea salt, the one with the light gray hue. Not fleur de sel, not blue salt from Persia, and definitely not the charlatan Himalayan salt. I use salt mixed with finely chopped seaweed. Important: Never add salt to cold water; it will damage the pot. Wait until the water is almost boiling – for this, the stovetop or hob must be turned on. Stir the water immediately after adding the salt until the salt has completely dissolved. Then wait a moment until the salted water is bubbling. Do not add pasta to the water before it has boiled; this will distort the cooking time and, in the worst case scenario (if thin pasta is poured into cold water before turning on the stovetop), the result will be sticky and unsightly. If you let the pasta water cool slightly after it has reached boiling point until only small bubbles rise, it is also ideal for making potato dumplings or bread dumplings. To make water for semolina dumplings, you can even halve the specified quantities.